Joint for round tables and the like



' s. PARTINGTON JOINT FOR ROUND TABLES AND THE LIKE Filed F eb. 1, 192.4 i i a jzvenz'or i atented Feb. 19, 1925.

it] ET; E D ST SIDNEY PARTINGTON OF ILTON, NEW;YOBK,

ASSIGNOR TO LIBRARY BUREAU, OF

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

JOINT FOB ROUND TABLES,AND THE LIK E.

Application filed February 1, 1924. Serial No. 689,908.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that SIDNEY PARTINGTON, citizen of the United Statesof America, and resident of Ilion, in the county of Herkimer and State of New York, has invented new and useful Improvements in Joints for Round Tables and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates particularly though not exclusively to connections between the legs and sides of circular tables. Ordif narily such connections are made bytapering the upper portion of the leg, butting the rail portions against opposite sides of the taper and joining the rail portionsand leg together by means of a horizontal brace fastened to all three, This construction has necessitated a thick rail construction and a joint which is not adapted to withstand the varying strains put upon it in use without loosening or warping out of shape. Moreover it is diflicult to construct this type of joint as it is necessary to fit the various parts to each other and seams or openings form between the joint members giving the finished article a displeasing appearance.

It is accordingly an object of my invention to overcome these disadvantages and particularly to provide a structure which may be made more readily and which will resist deformation and loosening in use.

One embodiment of my invention, applied to the connection between a table leg and rail, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Fig. 1 is a plan view of the table joint and brace;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section partly broken away of the table top, rail and leg showing the joint construction and brace; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the top of the table leg.

In the drawings, 1 represents a square post of the table which has a plain front surface 2 and a flat top surface 3. The rear side of the post 1 is recessed at the top to form a horizontal surface 4L and a vertical surface 6. The sides of the post 1 are provided with slots 7 and 8 having sides 9, 10 and 11, 12 respectively, which may be shallow or deep depending upon the character of the article being made or the members to be joined together. Likewise, these slots may be of uniform width or may widen inwardly toward their inner surfaces 13.

Fitting loosely into slots 7 and 8 are the tongues 15 and 16 on the ends of curved strips 17 and 18 leaving clearances 19 and 20 between the tongues and the inner sides 10 and 12 of the slots. Brace 21, which is rectangular in cross-section, rests upon surface 1 and bears against adjacent surface 6 of the postfll and is fastened to strips 17 and 18 by screws or bolts 22 which are preferably."perpendicular to said strips and sunk in recesses23 in the brace 21; Screws or bolts 24: are passed through the central portions of the brace 21 and turned up tight, thus drawing the brace 21 and surface 6 of the post 1 together and the tongues into the. slots and againstthe outersides 9 and 11 of :the' slots. This tightening of the joint tends to decrease the radius of rails 17 and 18 slightly, to align them with each other on opposite sides of post 1, to resist warping out of shape while the table is in use, and also to form a close connection between the tongues and walls 9 and 11 of the slots.

The ends of the tongues need not be exactly shaped to fit the slots nor the slots tofit the tongues, thereby simplifying the manufacture and avoiding any danger of the post splitting due to swelling of the tongues and at the same time avoiding any cracks which are visible from the side of the table. No fitting of one part to another is necessary as in the old type of joint and accordingly any part may be readily replaced if necessary by another of standard dimensions.

This construction permits the use of lighter, thinner strips of material to form the rail without weakening the structure; indeed resistance to loads is increased since the ends of the rail strips rest on the bottoms 5 of the slots 7 and 8 and the center of the brace rests on the surface f, thereby trans mitting the load directly to the leg 1. Side motion within the oint is also prevented by the improved construction so that there is no slipping of parts either by use or as a result of the warping tendency of the members themselves.

As a result of these features, there is no opening of joints in an article constructed in accordance with this invention with the consequent damage to the usefulness and appearance of the article. It will support heavy loads and withstand severe usage and if by accident the jo'nt members become loosened, they may be drawn up by tightening bolts 24, or if the table is disassembled, it may be again set up and the parts again fastened rigidly together with but little expenditure of time or effort.

It will be understood that the table has at least three legs (ordinarily four) and that the construction illustrated in the drawing is repeated at intervals around the table.

I claim:

1. A table comprising a post, curved rails abutting opposite sides of said post, a brace interconnecting said rails on the inner side of said post, and means for drawing said post toward said brace to force the rails tightly against said opposite sides of the post, the post having recesses to receive the ends of the rails and the normal curvature of the rails being such that they are flexed inwardly at the ends when the post is drawn toward the brace, thereby to seat the outer faces of the rails tightly against the outer faces of said recesses.

2. A table comprising a post having a recess in its inner side, inwardly curved rails abutting opposite sides of said post, a brace interconnecting said rails and extending through said recess, and means for drawing said post toward said brace to force the rails tight-1y against said opposite sides of the post, the post having recesses to receive the ends of the rails and the normal curvature of the rails being such that they are flexed inwardly at the ends when the post is drawn toward the brace, thereby to seat the outer faces of the rails tightly against the outer faces of said recesses.

3. A table comprising a post having grooves on opposite sides, side rails extending from the grooves and curving inwardly, a brace interconnecting the rails on the inner side of the post, and means for drawing the post toward the brace, said grooves being wider than the ends of the rails and the normal curvature of the rails being such that when the parts are assembled the ends of the rails fit loosely in said grooves and when the post is drawn toward said brace the rails seat tightly against the outer faces of said grooves.

Signed by me at Ilion, New York, this 21st day of January 1924.

SIDNEY PARTINGTON. 

